Saya mengikuti kelas teater di teater kota.

I attend a theater class at the city theater.

Breakdown of Saya mengikuti kelas teater di teater kota.

• saya: I
• di: at
• kota: city
• kelas: the class
• teater: the theater
• mengikuti: to take part in

Questions & Answers about Saya mengikuti kelas teater di teater kota.

What does mengikuti literally mean, and why is it used for “take/attend a class” here?

The base verb is ikuti, from ikut (to follow, to join). The prefix me- makes it an active verb: mengikuti.

Literally, mengikuti means “to follow” or “to take part in / join (an activity)”.

In Indonesian, mengikuti kelas is a standard way to say:

• “attend a class”
• “take a class/course” (enrolled and participating)

So Saya mengikuti kelas teater = “I take / am attending a theater class.”
It implies more than just showing up once; it suggests you are a participant in that course.

Could I say Saya mengambil kelas teater instead of Saya mengikuti kelas teater?

You can say Saya mengambil kelas teater, and people will understand you. Mengambil literally means “to take (physically)”, but it’s also used in the school/university context for:

• mengambil mata kuliah A = to take course A
• mengambil jurusan hukum = to major in law

Nuance:

• mengikuti kelas teater – sounds like you attend / participate in that class (focus on participation).
• mengambil kelas teater – sounds more like you signed up for / are taking that class in a formal/academic sense.

Both are acceptable; mengikuti is slightly more neutral and common in everyday speech about attending a class.

How do I know if this sentence is present, past, or future? Could it mean “I took / I am taking / I will take”?

Indonesian verbs don’t change form for tense. Saya mengikuti kelas teater di teater kota by itself is tense-neutral.

The exact time is understood from context or from time words:

• Dulu saya mengikuti kelas teater di teater kota.
  = I used to take / took a theater class at the city theater.

• Sekarang saya mengikuti kelas teater di teater kota.
  = I am taking a theater class at the city theater now.

• Besok saya akan mengikuti kelas teater di teater kota.
  = I will take / attend a theater class at the city theater tomorrow.

So the original sentence can be translated as “I take / am taking / took / will take…” depending on context.

What’s the difference between Saya and Aku here? Could I say Aku mengikuti kelas teater…?

Both Saya and Aku mean “I”, but they differ in formality:

• Saya – neutral, polite, suitable for:

  • speaking to strangers, teachers, older people
  • formal situations, writing, public speech

• Aku – more informal / intimate:

  • with friends, family, romantic partners
  • in casual conversation, songs, poetry

So:

• Saya mengikuti kelas teater di teater kota. – polite/neutral, always safe.
• Aku mengikuti kelas teater di teater kota. – fine with close friends or in an informal context.

Grammar-wise both are correct; only the social tone changes.

Can I drop Saya and just say Mengikuti kelas teater di teater kota?

You can drop Saya, but it becomes less natural as a standalone sentence, because Indonesian usually keeps the subject when introducing new information in neutral style.

However, subject dropping is possible when:

1. The subject is very clear from context, especially in answers:

   • Q: Siapa yang mengikuti kelas teater di teater kota?
     (Who is taking a theater class at the city theater?)
   • A: Saya. (I am.)
     or
     A: Mengikuti kelas teater di teater kota. (…take a theater class at the city theater.)

2. In notes, headlines, or informal messages:

   • (Diary) Mengikuti kelas teater di teater kota hari ini.
     = Took a theater class at the city theater today.

For normal, clear sentences, keep the subject:
Saya mengikuti kelas teater di teater kota.

What exactly does kelas teater mean? Is it the same as kelas drama?

kelas teater literally means “theater class” (class about theatrical performance: acting, stage, etc.).

• teater = theater (as an art form, or sometimes a theater building)
• kelas teater = a class focused on theater/acting

kelas drama could also mean a drama / acting class, but:

• teater is the more common word in performing-arts contexts.
• drama is often used as a genre (TV drama, movie drama) rather than the stage art, though there’s overlap.

In many cases, kelas teater and kelas drama would be understood similarly, but kelas teater sounds more natural for stage acting / theater training.

Why is teater repeated? Doesn’t kelas teater di teater kota sound redundant?

It looks repetitive to an English speaker, but it’s natural in Indonesian because the two teater have different roles:

• kelas teater = theater class (the subject/field)
• teater kota = city theater (the place/building)

So the full sentence means:

I take a theater class at the city theater.

If you want to avoid repetition, you could rephrase, for example:

• Saya mengikuti kelas teater di gedung teater kota.
  (I take a theater class in the city theater building.)

• Saya mengikuti kelas teater di sebuah teater di pusat kota.
  (I take a theater class at a theater in the city center.)

But kelas teater di teater kota is perfectly natural.

What does teater kota mean exactly? Is it “the theater in the city” or “the City Theater” (a specific venue)?

Grammatically, teater kota is a noun + modifier structure:

• teater = theater (head noun)
• kota = city (modifier)

So teater kota = “city theater”; usually understood as a/the main theater belonging to the city, similar to municipal theater.

Two possibilities:

1. Generic description
   
   • teater kota = the city’s theater, the municipal theater.
2. Proper name
   
   • If written as Teater Kota, it can be the official name of the venue, like City Theater.

Context or capitalization in writing tells you which one is meant. Spoken, you’d rely on context (people talking about that well-known theater in town).

What’s the difference between teater kota and teater di kota?

• teater kota
  = “(the) city theater”
  Implies a special/the main theater associated with the city.

• teater di kota
  = “a theater in the city”
  Just any theater located in the city, not necessarily the official city theater.

Compare:

• Saya mengikuti kelas teater di teater kota.
  I take a theater class at the city theater (that specific venue).

• Saya mengikuti kelas teater di teater di kota. – awkward; you’d normally say:
  Saya mengikuti kelas teater di sebuah teater di kota.
  I take a theater class at a theater in the city. (location is more general)

Why is di used before teater kota? When should I use di, ke, or pada?

di marks a location (at, in, on):

• di teater kota = at / in the city theater
• di rumah = at home
• di sekolah = at school

For movement towards a place, use ke:

• Saya pergi ke teater kota.
  I go to the city theater.

pada is more formal and mostly used with times and abstract things, not simple physical locations:

• pada hari Senin = on Monday
• pada kesempatan ini = on this occasion

So in this sentence, di teater kota is correct because it describes where the class takes place, not movement or time.

Does kelas teater mean one class or many classes? How do I say “theater classes” in plural?

kelas teater by default can be singular or plural, depending on context. Indonesian usually does not mark plural with an -s like English.

To make plurality explicit, you can say:

• beberapa kelas teater = several theater classes
• banyak kelas teater = many theater classes
• kelas-kelas teater = theater classes (reduplicated noun to emphasize plural)

Examples:

• Saya mengikuti beberapa kelas teater di teater kota.
  I take several theater classes at the city theater.

• Dulu saya mengikuti kelas-kelas teater di teater kota.
  I used to take theater classes at the city theater.

In the original sentence, most listeners will assume one course/program, unless context suggests multiple.

Can I change the word order, like Saya mengikuti di teater kota kelas teater?

No, that word order sounds unnatural and confusing.

Standard Indonesian order here is:

Subject – Verb – Object – Place
Saya – mengikuti – kelas teater – di teater kota.

• Saya (subject)
• mengikuti (verb)
• kelas teater (object: what you attend)
• di teater kota (place: where)

Placing di teater kota between the verb and the object (mengikuti di teater kota kelas teater) breaks that pattern and sounds wrong.

Natural alternatives keep the same basic order, for example:

• Saya mengikuti kelas teater di teater kota.
• Di teater kota, saya mengikuti kelas teater. (place adverb moved to front for emphasis)